“Even more pressure has been applied to the city [of Davis]
this week and the water utility rates it approved earlier this
year to pay for the surface water project.
“Not only was the city’s legal team denied a chance Wednesday
to speed up the ruling on the lawsuit that’s been lodged
against the rates — important for city officials because they
want to approach lenders without litigation tied to the rates
in order to pick up the best possible financing for Davis’ $111
million share of the surface water project — but it also
learned Tuesday that an ini
“An abundance of spring-run salmon has been seen this year in the
Feather River in Oroville, and officials said they expect the
fall run to be plentiful, too.”
“A year ago community volunteers were trying to save Shasta State
Historic Park. … But a year later, parks in the north
state have expanded operating hours and are adding other programs
for the public.”
From the Eureka Times-Standard in a letter to Interior Secretary
Sally Jewell from Congressmen Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson
and George Miller:
“We are greatly concerned by the prospect of a fish kill this
fall in the Trinity and Klamath Rivers in northern California.
Low flows and warm water on the Klamath River will imperil an
expected large run of salmon this fall; experts believe that
releasing colder water from the Trinity River may be the only way
to improve conditions for these salmon. …
“With a request from the Humboldt County Agriculture
Commissioner’s Office for a secretarial drought designation
pending before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, local ranchers
say they are feeling the burn of a dry year.”
From the UC Davis’ Center for Watershed Sciences California
WaterBlog:
“Spring-fed waters are luxurious places for salmon and trout.
They provide ideal flows and temperatures year-round and
jungles of aquatic plants teeming with insects for easy
snacking.
“In real estate, the saying goes, three things matter:
“location, location, location.” Can the same be said for native
fish?
“Art as education, public service and commentary — those are
the motives behind Chico artist Erin Wade’s newest project,
‘Invasive Nature(s).’
“Funded by a $2,000 ‘mini-grant’ awarded to her by the City
Council, Wade will be sculpting and displaying pieces in
Bidwell Park (from One-Mile to Caper Acres) using only invasive
plants found within the park.”
“U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. in Sacramento threw
out the [California Sportfishing] alliance’s Clean Water Act
lawsuit against Chico Scrap Metal Inc. … A three-judge
appellate panel reversed Burrell on Monday, ruling that the
alliance’s focus is different from any of the others, and
therefore its suit can proceed. The panel sent the matter back to
Burrell for further proceedings.”
“The numbers are in on agricultural production in Butte and
Glenn counties, providing proof of how crops boost the local
economy. …
“For generations, rice has been the top crop in this area, with
land that retains water and is well suited for rice but not
other crops. Yet, Butte County has evolved into the
second-ranking walnut producing county in the state.”
“A large swath of Placer County residents along the Interstate
80 corridor will see a double-digit increase in their water
rates over the next two years under a proposal being considered
by their provider.
“Placer County Water Agency officials say the proposed hikes –
9.1 percent in 2014 and 3.7 percent in 2015 – are in response
to a sharp increase in what they pay for water from Pacific Gas
and Electric Co.”
“An audit of a Yolo County agency charged with land conservation
has uncovered the unauthorized use of $1.8 million that had been
earmarked for protection of the foraging habitat of the
Swainson’s hawk.”
“Hot weather predicted for today and tomorrow means more cold
water from Philbrook Lake to Butte Creek. PG&E began
releasing the extra water Thursday morning, and within about 22
hours the temperatures should drop a bit along the 11 miles where
threatened spring-run chinook salmon are waiting to spawn.”
“If you want to go to the land of ‘milk and honey,’ drive across
the Sacramento River and tromp through Glenn County. That’s
the message, with super-sized flowers and perpetually buzzing
bees, at the award-winning Glenn County display at the California
State Fair.”
From The Stockton Record’s Alex Breitler Environment Blog:
” … as we topped the pass, the world fell away in front of
us in a dramatic, 2,500-foot plunge to the bottom of Stuart Fork
canyon. … I started thinking on a watershed scale.
“By virtue of a $999,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, [Yolo] county is about 18 months away from completing
the Yolo Natural Heritage Program, which would guide conservation
plans for future development.
Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority has lost a critical court case
heard by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concerning
the area of origin water rights.
“The TC authority was fighting for priority of water
allocations in dry years over exports to Central Valley Project
contractors located south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.”
From the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) blog:
“Sharing the story with you of the successes of the
award-winning Butte Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project
never gets old. …
“In an effort to share this amazing story with a wider
audience, Western Canal Water District and [California
Department of Fish and Wildlife] DFW working with Northern
California Water Association (NCWA) took a field trip to film
many spots on Butte Creek.
From the KMTG Natural Resources Blog, the latest news and
information from the natural resources practice group at Kronick
Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard:
“On July 1, 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an
opinion rejecting assertions by Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority
(TCCA) that California area of origin law entitled its member
districts to priority deliveries of Central Valley Project (CVP)
water and that the Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) acted in
violation of law by delivering less than 100% of contract amounts
during contractual ‘Conditions of Shortage.’ With the opi
